Jay Lycurgo plays Nathan, the illegitimate child of the world's most feared witch, in Joe Barton's eight-part adaptation of Sally Green's young-adult trilogy. Born after his mother slaughtered hundreds of Fairborn witches, Nathan is kidnapped by the Council and raised as a weapon against his father's Blood witch clan, learning that his own lethal gift will manifest on his seventeenth birthday. The series opens with Nathan escaping captivity and travelling from rural England to contemporary London, where he joins forces with Fairborn outcasts Nadia Parkes' Annalise and Emilien Vekemans' Gabriel while both factions hunt him for the war they believe he can win single-handedly.
Netflix released all eight episodes on 28 October 2022, marketing the show under two titles: the original Half Bad and the punchier The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. Despite strong word-of-mouth for its queer romance and visceral fight sequences staged by The Imaginarium, viewing figures failed to meet renewal thresholds and the streamer cancelled the series in January 2023. The production leaves Nathan mid-transformation, his final scream still echoing as crimson vines burst from his chest, the cliff-hanger now permanent.
Production Details
Netflix / 1 Season / 8 Episodes / 2022 - Present
Created by: Joe Barton
Showrunner(s): Joe Barton, Phil Robertson, Will Tennant
Producer(s): Steve Clark-Hall, Adrian Sturges
Main Cast
Jay Lycurgo as Nathan
Nadia Parkes as Annalise
Paul Ready as Soul
Isobel Jesper Jones as Jessica
Karen Connell as Ceelia
Jeśka Pike as Gill
Hector Hewer as Kieran
Fehinti Balogun as Bjorn
Emilien Vekemans as Gabriel
Luke Polie as Teemu
Jermaine Young as Lennox
Kerry Fox as Esmie
